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• Ed Butt

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Welcome Darklings.... Welcome to the second issue of The Mystic Menagerie, an occasional e-zine for the mystery entertainer. I want this to be a melting pot of ideas, so anything you wish to contribute will be considered. As ever, I wish to thank all of the great minds that have contributed to this issue and made this possible. So what’s in this issue?          effects produced by UK based dealer The Black Hart, a superb spooky story routine by Graham Yates, Dan Baines the man behind the very wonderful Lebanon Circle presents The Corpse Candle, a lovely piece called Dixie Nightmares from the talented Paul Prater, some bits and pieces from myself and other lovely goodies from the dark realm for you to feast your eyes upon. May I take this opportunity to thank all of those who         sue. We intend to continue providing a publication which will always feature items of worth. May I thank those who contributed towards this issue and Bertoneski who does a sterling job making this little magazine look like the slightly sinister delight it is intended to be. Until next time,

Freddie Valentine Freddie Valentine YOUR HUMBLE EDITOR

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Black Hart’s Bizarre Artefacts

into a chilling revelation. And yes – you use a normal deck of cards! -I go for aged ones-

plexed as to the method. If you are after this kind of effect, Slasher is not only cheap – it’s By Freddie Valentine bloody great! For those of you who are The Power of the Tarot is a Another nice little effect from unaware who The Black superb effect that uses – you Black Hart is something called Hart is -and if you are a UK guessed it – tarot cards! The    based bizarrist, you should spectator is shown two piles of a pendant is shown-worn or be ashamed of yourself-, it is tarot cards and clearly shown whatever you like and a small the pseudonym of Keith Hart, that are both in a totally difnumber of laminated cards a performer and producer of ferent order. The spectator which are blank on one side. sinister magical effects who chooses a pile which is mixed The cards represent souls of resides in the Scottish Isles. according to their instruction. dead celebrities and the specBoth piles are then show to tator can freely shuffle the I have a number of Keith’s ef- be in exactly the same order! cards and deal them on to the fects and hopefully this artiAs a playing card effect, this table. Card and then elimicle will guide you around the would be rather mundane and nated one by one, each time myriad items he has for sale unexceptional, but with the revealing the name of a dead on his website - www.blackever alluring tarot cards it famous person. You are then hart.co.uk . A couple of my fa- becomes a demonstration of left with one card. The name vourite card effects Keith sells their power and mystery. To be on this card which was left afare The Devil in Mind -which honest, when I read the work- ter the spec freely eliminates uses playing cards- and Power ings of this effect, I didn’t hold all the others is revealed to be of the Tarot. out much promise for it. That the same person whose phois, until I performed it for one tograph is revealed when the The Devil in Mind is a great of our ever truthful laymen    effect and hugely deceptive. who was completely bowled   You spin a yarn to the specta- over by it. It has been getting selves. Nice props and a great tor concerning how the devil a great response for me ever use for a much underused can influence you without you since. method. knowing -or whatever suits Black Hart has a whole webyour style- and offer then a Slasher is a cut-throat razor site full of bizarre goodies – deck of cards to shuffle. You which produces a similar efgive it a look! then show them a folder which fect to the magician’s favourite contains three laminated cards Knife Thru Arm. KTA always representing the conscious, seemed unrealistic and gimunconscious and subconscious, micky to me and that fact that each bearing a picture of Luthis was a damn sight cheaper cifer himself. You then ask the made me wonder whether it spectator to think of a number would be much cop. It sounded and to deal that many cards good, but for under -n18 was it onto the table and the deal a going to be cheap tat? It is, in hand to each of the three ‘dev- fact, superb and gives a very ils’. When the top card of each realistic illusion of slashing pile is turned over they are all your throat or wrists and the sixes – 666: The Number of dispensing of blood looks acThe Beast! What you need to curate and uncannily realistic. remember is that you never I used this onstage as part of touch the cards. They shuffle, my cabaret variety show and a they choose the number and fellow psychic entertainer, who they deal. It’s an incredible was performing on the show, effect in itself, but with the said it looked great from all Ouija Card right degree of suspense and angles and they were per3

The Mad Hatter Returns by Graham Yates A rather wonderful seance style routine with a great story from Graham Yates:

It is now over 120 twenty years since my Great Grandfather died. Without whom we wouldn’t own this lovely Victorian house that we sit in today. My Grandfather was a hat maker to Royalty both in England and Europe. He was renowned for the design and quality of his hats. The money he received allowed him to live a good and prosperous life, it also gave him the money to buy this house, which has been passed down through the generations ever since. Just recently I have been experiencing strange occurrences with this old hat box, nothing cer    "  # "  $    "   "   $                    Tsar of Russia. Today I would like to see if we could contact his spirit to allow my mind to settle about the hat box and the strange feeling I have towards it. I have also brought a crystal bell that stood in his shop for the customers to gain his attention and some replicas of his business card that I have had made, unfortunately there is only one of his business card left which is far too fragile to use, so I have had these made to preserve their design. The hat box is placed in the middle of the table surrounded by the sitters, inside is placed the crystal bell and a single business card with today’s date on it, is placed underneath it,the lid is then put back on the hat box and silence falls through the room. After what seems like an eternity a muffled ringing of the bell is heard. The lid is removed and it is seen that there is a single word on the card “Believe”. How? The writing on the business card is our old favourite the Out to Lunch principle. The ringing of the bell, whilst the method is not new, I have not come across it used with this equipment. Rather than use a tape recorder a mobile phone is used. This allows for a normal object to carried on your person and not really questioned. The recording software is set running and the bells is rung a few minutes into the recording enough time for the script and also a good period of silence, the bell is rung in the open to give a good clear sound. When in performance the phone is placed in your pocket and set to play, when it comes time for the ring it will sound muffled because it is in the pocket and sound as though I comes from the hat box.

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The Corpse Candle Spook Lights for Seance By Dan Baines -Lebanon Circle MagicForeword Ideas for illusions always sneak up on me when I am least expecting them. This particular effect started to manifest itself in my psyche earlier this year -January 2007- at Cirque du Soleil. The idea then went to ground for a few months until I saw something similar at Lord of the Rings -the musical- in the West End. The idea was simple but very effective and emulated fair % &  '()             $  #  "   it may be a laser. But without a light source or reflective surface I couldn’t see how this would be possible. The point of light was simply there, dancing in the ether. Thankfully the mystery of this entrancing light effect was revealed when my girlfriend purchased the most expensive theatre seats slap bang at the front of the stage. Finally I could see how it was done, but only just! Admittedly this effect is not a conventional magic trick although if performed under the right circumstances will look magical. It’s also not the most diverse of effects but as a seance or story telling tool it will allow you to create something captivating and strange to the unknowing eye. Due to the slight limitations with this effect I though it may be more rewarding and fun to provide it in kit form, at least this way you’ll get the satisfaction of the build. I have however, used the Corpse Candle in conjunction with one of my dead fairies at a children’s party and at a small seance to create orbs which left both audiences dumb founded. As with all magic, I can provide you with the tools and ideas, all you need to add is imagination.

Spook Light Folklore

The name ‘Corpse Candle’ refers to the ghostly lights sometimes seen at night or twilight often over marsh land. They are also referred as a Jack o’ Lantern, Will-o’-the Wisp and Spook lights depending on region. It looks like a flickering lamp, and is sometimes said to recede if approached. Much folklore       #  #$     or elemental. Briggs’ “A Dictionary of Fairies” provides an extensive list of other names for the same phenomenon though the place they are observed -graveyard, bogs etc.- influences the naming considerably.

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Many tales surround the origin of such mystery lights. An Irish story tells of a ‘ ne’er-do-well’ named Drunk Jack or Stingy Jack who makes a deal with the Devil, offering up his soul in exchange for payment of his pub tab. When the Devil comes to collect his due, Jack tricks him by making him climb a tree and then carving a cross underneath, preventing him from climbing down. In exchange for removing the cross, the Devil forgives Jack’s debt. However, because no one as bad as Jack would ever be allowed into Heaven, Jack is forced upon his death to travel to Hell and ask for a place there. The Devil denies him entrance in revenge, but, as a boon, grants *# +                 souls are forever condemned. Jack places it in a carved turnip to serve as a lantern.


Among European rural people, especially in Gaelic and Slavic folk cultures, the will-o’-the-wisps are held to be mischievous spirits of the dead or other supernatural beings attempting to lead travellers astray. A modern Americanized adaptation of this travellers’ association frequently places swaying Ghost Lights along roadsides and railroad tracks. Here a swaying movement of the lights is alleged to be that of 19th- and early 20th-century railway workers supposed to have been killed on the job. Sometimes the lights are believed to be the spirits of unbaptised or stillborn children, flitting between heaven and hell. Modern occultist elaborations bracket them with the salamander, a type                $#        The examples I have used in this document incorporate fairies and spirit orbs although as you can see, the source of suitable ideas from folklore and legend is endless.


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Effect Synopsis You produce an antiquated grimy jar with no visible contents which can be fully inspected. A spectator is requested to unclip the jar lid and open it. All join hands, the lights are turned off and the room is immersed in complete darkness. You begin some ancient incantation that will summon forth the ghost light. A small point of light appears inside the jar and begins to rise above the spectators dancing and      )   $    The spook light suddenly vanishes and then reappears almost instantaneously on the other side of the table. It then continues to dance in and around the spectators, weaving about their heads, up to the ceiling and back down again. You give the command for the light to return to the jar and slowly and reluctantly it obeys. The light fades and the room is once again cloaked in complete darkness. Quickly you ask one of the spectators to grab the jar and clip the lid back on tightly. The jar can be fully inspected or even given away as a souvenir The corpse candle will %      #      Can be used on stage or at home. For children’s parties - release a captured fairy from the jar. For seances - make a spirit orb materialise in the centre of the table then journey around the room




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How does it work? Based on a stage lighting effect currently used on Broadway and the West End the Corpse Can       #     /  remote control systems are used; the spook light appears in mid air and dances around the heads of your spectators, flies off around the room and will vanish and reappear at your command.       #     #     #   allows light to propagate along its length from the light source. The black plastic coating prevents any light escaping along its length thus when the light reaches the end it appears to be floating in space in a darkened room. A rod construction allows the user to reach over spectators and ‘animate’ the point of light. Just a slight wrist movement will make the light move in an erratic manner. The operator can then make the light move around the room over spectator’s heads. The switch on the led torch can make the spook light vanish and reappear in another location almost instantaneously. A magnet on the cable is powerful enough to lift metal objects such as spoons from the jar. Using this concept you create the illusion that there is something in the jar trying to get out. How to build your ‘Corpse Candle’ To build your ‘corpse candle’ you will need a few special items and the rest of the components you may already have at home or in your garden shed; a long stick, ideally a garden cane, black paint and glue. If you have issues sourcing the parts just e-mail me as [email protected] and I’ll be pleased to point you in the right direction.  3   4   # 5X5Z[ =   Black masking tape Mini led torch \ #  #    Tube cap made from blue tack or modelling clay Cocktail stick Lighter ## )]^    \   ##   #               2-part epoxy glue or something of similar strength.

/(>=\   _(/(  # #  `` 8

1.To start let’s get the bits out of the way that can be drying while we build the fun stuff! Take your garden cane and paint it black. Children’s blackboard paint is the best as it provides a matt    2.Slide magnet over the cocktail stick and then slide the heat shrink over both.


5>                       until it tightens around the magnet. Be careful not to set the heat shrink or cocktail stick on       #$   $       shrinkage.


4Remove the encased magnet from the cocktail stick, trim the ends slightly and thread it on to # ## ]